Whale's Wellman Draws On Dad's Experience In Pro Sports

Casey Wellman was 17 days shy of his 2nd birthday when his father played in his final major league baseball game.

So to Casey, Brad Wellman's baseball career is viewed through photographs and stories. There's the picture of Casey and Brad from a Kansas City Royals father-son game, a shot that sparks memories.

"A few vague memories," said Wellman, a forward for the Connecticut Whale. "But I was pretty young."

Brad Wellman played 441 big league games with the Giants, Dodgers and Royals from 1982-1989. And sprinkled among those games were minor league stops in Omaha, Phoenix and Albuquerque.

By the time Casey was preparing for preschool, Brad's career was over. But all these years later, his dad's experience in professional sports is helping Casey in his quest to make the NHL.

Casey was playing for the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate in Houston when the Rangers acquired him for Erik Christensen a few weeks ago. Wellman played 14 games with the Wild this season and had 41 NHL games under his belt, so he thought his future rested in Minnesota.

Instead, he was dumped. Out of the blue and without warning.

"I definitely wasn't really expecting it," Wellman said. "I was on my way to practice when I got the call. I was pretty shocked, but that's the way this business kind of goes."

And that outlook was born from conversations with his father. Brad Wellman, an infielder, originally signed with the Royals in 1978 and was traded to the Giants in the multi-player trade that featured Atlee Hammaker/Vida Blue in 1982.

After three seasons with the Giants, he signed with the Dodgers as a free agent. After one season in the Dodgers' organization, he signed with the Royals. And after two seasons with Kansas City, his career was over.

So Wellman experienced the highs and lows of professional sports. He was traded before he reached the majors, he was discarded into free agency and he struggled to make major league rosters.

As his son attempts to forge a hockey career, Brad Wellman offers lots of guidance.

"He's been through it," Casey said. "He's helped me a lot with my career. I talked to him quite a bit. He's been great with it. He was traded. … He said this is the way it goes, this is the business. You've just got to run with it, you've got a fresh start and it probably won't be the last one. That's the way the business is."

Casey hopes he finds a home in the Rangers organization. He played two years at UMass and signed with the Wild as a coveted college free agent, but he never broke out as a top prospect with Minnesota.

The Rangers have moved him from wing to center, his college position. And in five games with the Whale, Wellman (one goal, three assists) has shown flashes of what made him such an intriguing college prospect.

"Center is a position that is an important position," coach Ken Gernander said. "We can always use depth there. He does a lot for us. He's got decent speed. … He does a lot of for us and has been a very good pickup."

Wellman's road to Hartford began in the unlikely spot of Northern California. Brad Wellman, who grew up in California, became interested in hockey after he and some Royals teammates were visiting a New Jersey Devils practice in Boston.

Wellman was invited to skate, but declined because he didn't know how.

"He was pretty upset about that, so he learned," Casey said.

And along the way, he bought skates for his sons, Casey and Logan, and put them on the ice. Casey was only 3 when he began skating and he was quickly hooked.

While his dad's baseball career was ending, Casey's hockey career was taking off. Baseball didn't interest Casey and Brad was infatuated with his son's new love.

"He got an interest in hockey and really liked it," Casey said. "At the time, baseball was just a little slow for me, a little boring. I think it's a great sport, but it was just a little slow."

Casey, who grew up in the Bay Area town of Brentwood, played for the Junior Sharks youth hockey program and even skated between periods at a San Jose Sharks game. At 14, he relocated to Michigan to attend the private Cranbrook Kingswood School and helped his team win a state title.

After high school, Wellman spent two years playing junior hockey with Cedar Rapids of the United States Hockey League before attending UMass.

"I didn't know too many of the schools out here," Wellman said. "Obviously, you hear of BU and BC. But through the process of going to visit colleges, UMass was just the right fit. From traveling around all over for hockey, you kind of get used to adjusting to new places. It was a great spot. I liked UMass a lot."

Wellman had 78 points in 75 games over two seasons with UMass, including a 23-goal season in 2009-10. His Connecticut experience? He remembers flying in and out of Bradley International Airport, but not much else.

Still, transitioning from Houston to Hartford has been seamless. Before leaving California for Michigan 10 years ago, Wellman understood that pursuing his hockey dream would require the ability to roll with whatever came his way.